Location: 5736 E. Rancho Manana Blvd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily Information: 480-488-0698; www.tontobarandgrill.com

Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek, Arizona, gives diners a view of modern desert life with a peek into the past.

The restaurant overlooks the 11^th hole of the verdant Rancho Manana Golf Course, surrounded by stately saguaros and blooming desert plants, with the ridge of the Tonto National Forest looming in the distance. Diners nibble on mesquite-grilled, all-natural meats and fresh produce and sip fine tequilas and wines from a Wine Spectator Award-winning list.

Earlier inhabitants never had it so good. The ground the restaurant sits on was once home to American Indians. But the high desert oasis also made an ideal stopover camp for U.S. Cavalry en route from Camp McDowell in Phoenix to Fort Whipple in Prescott. They were the first non-Indians to settle in the area and fought ferocious battles with the Tonto Apache tribe.

During this time in Arizona, General Crook, a shrewd and sinewy six-foot soldier who spoke little and led by example, led skirmishes starting in 1871. They gave the Apache no rest, using Indian guides to root out their locations. Eventually, the military secured the land for miners and ranchers to move in and create a new community.

Forward to the 1940s, and tenderfoots looking to recapture what had become a romanticized notion of this cowboy-and-Indian past were coming out to dude ranches in the area. China and Ted Loring of Chicago and partner Romaine "Romy" Lowdermilk, a cowboy musician and author, took over the Howard Ranch in the mid-1940s and renamed it the Rancho Manana dude ranch. It became the largest and most prestigious in the state.

The Lorings, a handsome couple, lived on-site and raised their children there. Photos in the original lounge area (now The Grill Room) depict this traditional but upscale lifestyle: Family members pose on horseback; men in cowboy hats gather around a campfire next to the now-famous boulders of the Boulders Resort, long before it was built. One photo shows the cozy dining hall - still in use as an office - with tables set for service. Nearby, a natural spring fed a tiled swimming pool.

The charm of this era remains at Tonto Bar & Grill, which was part of the original dude ranch. Date palms and olive trees still dot the property today. It's easy to imagine ranch guests clustered around the fireplace under the rough-hewn wood ceiling beams, listening to Lowdermilk telling stories or strumming his guitar and singing.

The ranch changed hands a few times before becoming a golf resort. Current owners and former roommates Eric Flatt and John Malcolm reunited to restore the building to its glory days while updating it for contemporary tastes and uses. Tonto Bar & Grill opened in 1994 and has become a favorite of local residents as well as visitors to nearby Cave Creek and Carefree resorts. Two indoor dining rooms, a bar, a covered patio and an open patio seat 225.

Flatt's philosophy of cooking isn't what you find in typical golf course cafes. He strives to offer the freshest, highest-quality food available, including all-natural meats with no hormones or antibiotics. The menu features Arizona products such as Desert Sweet Shrimp, farmed locally in Gila Bend; tepary beans, an indigenous and nutritious Sonoran Desert staple; and other offerings from the Native Seeds/SEARCH program.

Tonto is open for lunch and dinner daily, serving an extensive all-day menu under the direction of Chef Aaron Geister. Everything except gelato is prepared fresh in-house, down to the salad dressings.

Just to whet the appetite: Corn chowder, smoked bacon, chicken, thyme and Yukon gold potatoes and an arugula salad with candied Arizona pecans, sun-dried cherries, tart green apples and pistachio vinaigrette might hit the spot for a light lunch. Or, for something more substantial, there's a long list of hearty meat entrees, from mesquite-grilled buffalo top sirloin to a "cowboy plate" of grilled chili-lime pork chop, ancho chili braised nopalitos, mashed ranchero beans with queso fresco, and escabeche vegetable slaw.

Be sure to save room for dessert from noted pastry chef Amanda Crick, who also makes all of the breads - including four-seed baguettes and hamburger buns - in-house daily.

Even the china here is homegrown: Flatt personally designed all of it and has it specially handmade and hand-painted in Tucson by the H.F. Coors Company. In 2007, Foodservice Kitchen & Supplies Magazine awarded Tonto Bar & Grill a "Tabletop Performance Award" for it, deeming it the best china in the nation over $30 a setting. To purchase it, check the Apparel and China section of this web site.

Diners can wash down the food with blanco, reposado or añejo tequila, or with one of the fine wine selections offered by the glass or half bottle. Guests can feel comfortable having a seat in their golf garb or resort casual wear, so it's a fine spot to fuel up before teeing off, as a respite after a busy day of hitting the shops in Cave Creek, or to catch up with friends and family.

Tonto Bar & Grill also offers gluten-free and vegan menus, making it easy to accommodate everyone's needs. In addition to having a health-conscious approach on the plate, it is "green" behind the scenes as well. Discarded cooking oils are used as biofuel for local school buses. Cleaning products are natural and biodegradable. And all cardboard, plastics, aluminum and paper are recycled.

Reservations are recommended for dinner and holidays including Easter and Mother's Day brunches, Christmas Eve dinner and Valentine's Day (trivia note: February 14 is also Arizona statehood day; it entered the union in 1912). Tonto Bar & Grill has facilities for private groups and parties and also caters off-site.

It's the perfect choice for travelers looking to connect with the authentic taste of Arizona as well as locals proud of this young state with a rich old history.